The Sun Crosses the Equator

The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This happens on March 19, 20, or 21 every year.

Why Equinox?

On the equinox, night and day are nearly the same length – 12 hours – all over the world. This is the reason it's called an “equinox”, derived from Latin, meaning "equal night." However, in reality, equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours of daylight.

What Happens on the Equinox?

The Earth's axis is always tilted at an angle of about 23.4° in relation to the ecliptic plane, the imaginary plane created by the Earth's path around the Sun. On any other day of the year, either the Southern Hemisphere or the Northern Hemisphere tilts a little towards the Sun. But on the two equinoxes, the tilt of the Earth's axis is perpendicular to the Sun's rays, like the illustration shows.

Used to Measure Tropical Year

The March equinox is often used by astronomers to measure a tropical year – the mean time it takes for the Earth to complete a single orbit around the Sun. Also known as a solar year, a tropical year is approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds long.

The time between one March equinox and the next can vary by only a few minutes or by as many as 30 minutes each year. For example, the time between the March Equinox in 2015 and the March Equinox in 2016 was 365 days, 5 hours, 44 minutes, and 56 seconds, while the same duration between the March Equinoxes in 2016 and 2017 will be 365 days, 5 hours, 58 minutes, and 36 seconds.

Celebrating New Beginnings

The March equinox has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth in the Northern Hemisphere. Many cultures celebrate spring festivals and holidays around the March equinox, like Easter and Passover.